Musician Brian Eno once claimed that the limitations of a medium are exactly what people will miss about it once those limitations are gone. That’s probably why so many modern horror titles opt to embrace styles and mechanics that were once criticized for being cheap and obtuse (like low-poly graphics and tank controls). If you ask me, I’d also argue that this is why we’ve seen a resurgence in movie tie-in games despite licensed productions once being considered the scourge of the video game industry.
And in honor of recent releases like RetroRealms Arcade (which is actually way more enjoyable than most of the licensed titles it’s trying to emulate), we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six retro horror movie tie-in games that time forgot. After all, from the Commodore 64 to the Atari 2600, there are plenty of old video games that benefit from some spooky source material. And while not all of these are gems, I think it’s worth looking back on the obscure licensed titles of old so we can appreciate just how far the medium has come.
As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own retro favorites if you think we missed a particularly fun one.
Now, onto the list…
6. Land of the Dead: The Road to Fiddler’s Green (2005)
The idea of including an Xbox game on this list of retro titles fills me with the worst kind of existential dread, but the fact is that it’s been two decades since Brainbox Games’ Land of the Dead prequel hit consoles and PC. Unfortunately, unlike Romero’s film, The Road to Fiddler’s Green wasn’t exactly a kick-ass zombie experience.
Sure, the title is ahead of its time in many regards, implementing first person melee combat and horde modes in ways that would only become popular during the 2010s, but this obscure game is a little too ambitious for its own good. That being said, I’d still recommend checking it out if you’re a fan of Romero’s Dead films and don’t mind a little bit of bloody jank.
5. Halloween (1983)
From Dead by Daylight to RetroRealms’ Michael Myers campaign (and even that weirdly fun browser game meant to tie into the David Gordon Green films), I don’t think there’s ever been a better time to be a Halloween fan with a taste for interactive scares. However, some of you may be surprised to hear that The Shape was already stalking gamers all the way back in ’83 with a proto-survival horror title that was ultimately overshadowed by the controversial Texas Chain Saw Massacre game developed by the same company.
In the Atari 2600 adaptation of Halloween, players take on the role of a babysitter attempting to save children from a homicidal madman as she stumbles around a never-ending house. This groundbreaking horror title doesn’t exactly feature state-of-the-art graphics, even the game’s harshest critics have to concede that it boasts an addicting gameplay loop as well as a kick-ass 8-bit rendition of John Carpenter’s iconic score.
4. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1991)
It’s already a cinematic miracle that John DeBello’s oddball parody Attack of the Killer Tomatoes even exists as a film in the first place, so imagine my surprise when I found out that this late-night TV classic was also adapted into an unexpectedly polished video game!
The title is technically based on the animated series rather than the films, but what really matters here is that the developers were clearly having a great time as they crafted this quirky platformer that sees players stomping on the titular fruit. In fact, I wouldn’t mind a Zombies Ate My Neighbors style remaster of this forgotten gem if the IP holders ever allow it…
3. The Evil Dead (1981)
There are a lot more Evil Dead games than most folks seem to realize. From the Resident Evil inspired thrills of Evil Dead: Hail to the King to the insanely fun Evil Dead: Regeneration (not to mention the side-scrolling gorefest of RetroRealms’ Ash vs. the Evil Dead campaign), this is one of the best horror franchises when it comes to interactive carnage.
Of course, the very first (and least remembered) Evil Dead game was actually released the very same year as the first film, all the way back in 1981! A highly addictive arcade-like experience that sees players surviving a demonic siege from inside a cabin in the woods, this Commodore 64 title was really well reviewed despite sparking controversy with its “violent” gameplay.
2. Fright Night (1988)
Fright Night is one of the best vampire movies of all time, but it doesn’t exactly scream “interactive horror adventure” like some of the other intellectual properties on this list. And yet, the folks over at Microdeal still managed to deliver one hell of a fun tie-in with their 1988 Amiga title based on Tom Holland’s film.
The gameplay itself is rather simple here, but almost every critic agreed that what made this title fun was the fact that you actually play as the film’s vampiric antagonist Jerry as he attempts to rid his house of pesky humans while feeding on blood and resting in coffins.
I guess you could call this a reverse Castlevania!
1. Alien (1982)
James Cameron’s Aliens might very well be one of the most influential movies ever made, with its monstrous antagonists and iconic pulse rifles even showing up in unrelated video games like Contra, but it’s worth remembering that the original Alien was also a massive multimedia hit. That being said, the first film’s 1982 videogame adaptation wasn’t exactly the claustrophobic masterpiece that fans were expecting.
Developed by Fox Video Games for the Atari 2600, 1982’s Alien is really just a Pac-Man clone, with Ripley replacing Namco’s yellow mascot and heavily pixelized xenomorphs taking over for the ghosts. While the game features a few cosmetic additions as well as bonus rounds with gameplay akin to Frogger, it makes sense that this interactive novelty would become lost to history despite being a pretty decent reskin of a classic title.
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